As An Introductory Mark Of Our Regard I Decorated Him With A
Medal Similar To Those Which Had Been Given To The Other Leaders.
The
Hook began by stating that he was aware of our being destitute of
provision, and of the great
Need we had of an ample stock to enable us to
execute our undertaking, and his regret that the unusual scarcity of
animals this season, together with the circumstance of his having only
just received a supply of ammunition from Fort Providence, had prevented
him from collecting the quantity of meat he had wished to do for our use.
"The amount indeed," he said, "is very small, but I will cheerfully give
you what I have: we are too much indebted to the white people to allow
them to want food on our lands whilst we have any to give them. Our
families can live on fish until we can procure more meat, but the season
is too short to allow of your delaying to gain subsistence in that
manner." He immediately desired aloud that the women should bring all the
meat they had to us; and we soon collected sufficient to make three bags
and a half of pemmican, besides some dried meat and tongues. We were
truly delighted by this prompt and cheerful behaviour and would gladly
have rewarded the kindness of himself and his companions by some
substantial present, but we were limited by the scantiness of our store
to a small donation of fifteen charges of ammunition to each of the
chiefs.
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